Repair of the Roland D-50 pitch bender with a cooks blowtorch. Special thanks to my Patreons as they purchased this synthesizer. / markusfuller
Пікірлер: 193
@ChipGuy7 жыл бұрын
Back in the day Roland went to Fujitsu Semiconductor. They were making Digital Signal Processors in various versions called the MB87xxx series. There is not much to find on the internet because it was all done under NDA. The SYNTHE, REVERB and CHORUS chip are DSP's that have been tailored to Roland's needs including MASK ROM firmware inside. All that Fujitsu stuff was branded "FANUC" back then and had it's breakthrough with the MB87103 (DIL40). It's real target market was actually: Intelligent motor control. Customers realized that this DSPs was capable doing other things like audio so they made dem develop that product line further with 24 bit versions. The Reverb is based on the same core that the MB87104 (or106?) 24 bit DSP chip was using. It has six DRAMs attached to it of which every DRAM has 16k x 4 bits. So it uses 16K words (24 bits) or 48 kbyte. The sound interface though is only 16 bits wide. The CHORUS DSP is one of the much simpler chips but still a programmable DSP. It can only handle SRAM or ROM and has the 8Kx8 SRAM attached to it. Unfortunately I never could find anything on the SYNTHE chip and I don't know what kind of core it is using. Should be similar to the reverb chip though. Ok this comment has to end now, wafflemaster out ;)
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Hey Waffle on as much as you like, You certainly have great knowledge of these things and I always look forward to reading your replies as I can learn something new from you myself. Many thanks from Markus
@wreckage-vs5jv3 жыл бұрын
One rarely reads something so insightful in YT comments. Good research. And I did find out exactly the same, Fujitsu, Fanuc and their early numeric controls...only like 20 years ago haha. There is more on the synthe ic MB87136 if you deep dive on .jp sites. The PCM54 suggests 16 bit but the lower four bits go thru an extra DA stage, top right from the BB. So Roland rightly calls it 20 bit conversion. I recommend the upgrade decribed here fr.audiofanzine.com/synthe-numerique/roland/d-50/pedago/tutoriels/lifting-electro-meca-nique-du-roland-d-50-7182/ where auto translation might be helpful again if you missed that French class. It's a night and day difference. The easy way to fix typical Roland aftertouch issue is using an expression pedal. 9:30 potentiometer with additional middle tap.
@lhmdeck5 жыл бұрын
I had the exact same problem with my JV-1000 pitch bender. Just needed to take it apart and put the springs back into their proper place. Thanks for the demo!
@Neffers_UK7 жыл бұрын
Can't beat the smell of a synths internals first thing in the morning. Thanks Markus.
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Thanks Neffers. I have a serious keyboard shortage here at the moment as I had to sell my entire collection off apart from one synth so I could buy my childhood dream synth. so this d-50 makes the perfect addition in my quest to rebuild my mancave
@Neffers_UK7 жыл бұрын
"I had to sell my entire collection off" Sounds heart breaking Markus. I have lost stuff. I was really into making tunes and drumming when I was 13, the school I was at helped me get a simple drum kit and a D5 (five) to go with my STe - and I had a load of other nice toys to learn with, then things went tits up for my family. Eviction. Only got chance to dip my toe. My gear paid for my dad not getting yet another summons and ending up in jail, we still lost the house (and 14 years of my life) though. 23 years later and I've not recovered and things aren't at all rosy so I treasure all old stuff (hoarding to a point). I'm currently trying to refurb an STfm that I was given and am gonna take it to the studio once done so it can live with the rack gear and serve its purpose as intended. The ST is grotty as hell at the mo. I am gonna whiten it, add a Blitter, maybe a TOS switcher and if coin allows eventually fit a simple accelerator. Preliminary album here if you are interested www.imgur.com/a/6lnac. I keep getting asked why I do stuff like this from remaining family. If only I could just say "Cubase and low latency" to them and be done. The gear I have to use is basic, Novation Bass Station (old rack) Novation Drumstation, Emu Orbit, Akai S2000 sampler and the Yam CS1x I have sat in front of me now. Nothing special, but creativity can overcome that I'm sure. There's other outboard stuff but they are the only sound creating devices I have. Edit; Wow, sorry for the ramble Markus I didn't realise and just kept typing :/
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Hi Neffers, That was an interesting read. true you do not have to have amazing gear to make good music, theres several people I know that only have a simple keyboard with a few basic sounds on them but they make really nice music. I am down to 2 (3 with the D-50) keyboards now and want to start on a new peoject but squeeze as much as I can out of these. I had a house full of synths not so long ago but it was all too distracting, shall I play this one or that one and never actually did anything creative. I did the massive sell off to buy a good digital and a good analog and I have more room to breath now. but I am still fighting for Time to get around to actually doing something useful or creative, but as we both know being creative happens only when it happens.
@ChipGuy7 жыл бұрын
The bender potentiometer is a funny thing. It's actually two potentiometers. That weird middle tap it connected to ground. One side is connected to VREF and the other side is connected to VREF via a transistor that turns on when X0 through X3 are selected. Then they use an 8:1 multiplexer 4051 and connected the BEND output to 2 inputs X0 and X4.
@wreckage-vs5jv3 жыл бұрын
Funny things plenty in the D50's design...Vref, X, Y all have 0.1 caps parallel for stabilizing V on the IC. That's what the middle tap of the (single btw) potentiometer is used for.
@JakobHaq7 жыл бұрын
"Broke your synth? No problem, hand me the blowtorch" 😂 Great video Markus! I'm happy I could contribute to this purchase. It looks awesome, almost mint! Happy to see it get restored.
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Jakob Haq Hello Jakob, yes indeed this is partly your synth also and I promise to keep it in good condition and hope to use it in future music making. Best wishes from Markus.
@ellismurgatroyd3103 жыл бұрын
The sound spacious sweep was used for PS1 start up sound
@jonclyne29182 жыл бұрын
Thanks Mark for a tour of the internals. Always nice to have a head's up before opening my own synth to deal with an issue.
@clydesight7 жыл бұрын
Great video, loved seeing the inside of the instrument. I run into sticky pots all the time in my vintager tape recorder work. I use a product called: "Marvel Mystery Oil" (you can get it on Amazon). It is a light cleaning oil originally designed for cleaning the sludge out of V8's and other engines. It eats grease and re-liquefies it by altering its chemical composition! The Japanese often used a varnished-based grease in their equipment -- which would seize up after a few years. 1960's SONY tape recorders and decks are notorious for this problem and even their VCRs from the 1990's would seize up and destroy tapes. Marvel oil fixes this really well. I use an injection oiler and just get a few drops onto the pot shaft and let it sit for about 24 hours. It will ooze down the shaft (capillary action?) and clean up the grease inside by chemically re-vitalizing it and changing it. The grease really isn't dirty -- it has oxidized so it is like dried varnish! The pot is perfectly good, so once the grease is re-liquified, it should be good to go for many years. Your heat trick is good (I use it to free seized capstans and axles when I can't get the Marvel oil into the space) so I can get them apart. Then I clean off the old grease with -- you guessed it -- Marvel Mystery Oil. Otherwise, as you suspected, in a very short period, the parts will seize again. Hope this helps! Thanks for your videos I enjoy them very much. I'd love to see you dive into a Roland XV-5080 rack unit!
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Hi Clydesight I dabbed fine watchmakers oil into the tiny gap of the shaft before I heated it. Im hoping the oil had a small chance of getting in there but I have as I am writing this just tried the pitchbender again and it seems fine, plus its quite cold here at the moment . but I will certainly go and look at this Marvel Mystery Oil. sounds good.
@clydesight7 жыл бұрын
markusfuller I think you will be amazed at what Marvel Mystery Oil can do. It's not that expensive and is so versatile. It will help out your projects a lot.
@GaitaPonto7 жыл бұрын
Hey Markus, just to tell you that you inspired me to carefully open my JP-8080 to see what was wrong with the volume knob...and guess what: the master volume board had a lose cable connector. Easy fix!
@theeltea6 жыл бұрын
That volume knob also gave me headaches with the main outputs. Had to replace mine as the plastic shaft became wobbly.
@joeboygsxr7 жыл бұрын
Always loved the D-50 one of the best digital synths I think, very warm sound to them. Can be got cheap enough so would love to either get the D-50 or the rack version, some of korg stuff from around the same period is quite good as well
@Pvaeerener3 жыл бұрын
Man... I love this guy's work...
@garethbull22267 жыл бұрын
A D-50. That brings back memories. I never owned one but did lust after one for a while. I bought a Roland GR-50 guitar synth sometime around 1990 which is based on the D-10, same synth system as the D-50 but with fewer bells and whistles. I still have the GR-50 and it still works.
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Hi Gareth. I remember the D-10 we had one at college but I seemed to always miss out on buying the D-50 as it was too expensive or one turned up when I was skint.
@michaelbauers88007 жыл бұрын
One of my favorite synthesizers of all time! I don't own one, but I know some of the famous sounds from it. Digital Native Dance, Pizzagogo, etc.
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
I have been looking for sounds on google theres thousands of people out there that have made settings up for this. Hmm this one I will keep forever
@Michael_Smith-Red_No.57 жыл бұрын
I performed a Digital Native Dance after watching this. Well done.
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
I hope you can dance better than me. people say I do a Dad Dance whatever that means LOL
@Michael_Smith-Red_No.57 жыл бұрын
Something similar was said about me, until I went to Chicago and experienced my first rave.
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
I went to a rave once and felt like I was someones grand dad as I just could not enjoy myself as much as I tried, my body will not accept alcohol or drugs and I think they are some main ingredients to fully enjoying a proper Rave.
@brianpoague7 жыл бұрын
Great video. Always a joy to watch. Actually used a D-50 on some films back in University but I really didn't know much about it or its reputation at the time. It sounded great but I'd really like to have another go at it now.
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
This is the first one I have ever owned. I have friends who own them and they always sounded very interesting but until now I could not get one.
@halcyondaystunes7 жыл бұрын
wow a friend from school had one if these i loved the d 50 and was really jealous. I asked for a keyboard for christmas and got a casio with built in speakers and drum pads. lovely haha. Bossanova heaven ;) thanks for a superb video bud.
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Thank You. I never touched a keyboard until I was about 20 years old and it was that casio with the calculator built in.
@halcyondaystunes7 жыл бұрын
hahaha, fantastic
@rick420buzz7 жыл бұрын
Nice piece of the 1980s you got there. The sample you played at the beginning sounded like "Terrible Lie" by Nine Inch Nails.
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
the part from the beginning was from Jean-mMichel Jarres industrial revolutions
@docpaul7 жыл бұрын
Great video and great sounds! I did a U-20 fix recently and forgot to keep the power on whist changing the battery - luckily I could sysex the patches back and recovered it... Wish Id watched this first!
@UH40online7 жыл бұрын
just recently found your channel... I love your videos.. back in the day.. I wanted one if these sooo bad.. This and the DX7 but could not afford one.. I wound up getting Yamaha V-50 and later I added an Ensoniq TS10. fast forward to today I have a lot of Novation analog gear to reproduce those 80s sounds
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
I always wanted the DX-7 back in the day but the price was way out of my reach so I ended up with a casio to get me by.
@JCBudro167 жыл бұрын
Having done some repair work on one of these, the D-50's construction is a good example of why I dislike mid-80s Japanese synth design. All the disparate parts are screwed together to support each other, usually with the keybed acting as a sort of "frame" to give it some rigidity, rather than giving it a solid case or real frame to which the other parts are connected.
@mCKENIC7 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the vid Markus! Lovely bit of kit too I must say!
@shawntesar50032 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the lesson wow you are amazing at explaining things. My D50 has two PCM chips your board looks like it’s missing a chip. Your the expert I may be wrong.
@markusfuller2 жыл бұрын
Hi Shawn Thanks for pointing that out. I’m not sure why some had one chip and others have 2.
@Individual_two7 жыл бұрын
Great video! I'm impressed at the great condition of this D-50. Beautiful instrument!
@trafalgar19387 жыл бұрын
Well with all your capacitator's, resisters etc. I have trouble remembering my name now but love your videos mate. Thankyou
@ssahakian3KnightGuardian35 жыл бұрын
The best keyboard roland D50 I just bought a roland D50 my self my cousin uses it on his international pop band Persian style such a nice keyboard there will never be one like it it’s a special keyboard the best
@davidm35697 жыл бұрын
A very interesting video, as usual! Saw one of those at a boot sale, boxed. I think about £20-£30 many years ago but didn't buy it, regretted ever since..,......oh well.....
@mixolydian20106 жыл бұрын
I now know how to loosen stiff pots thanks Marcus for the interesting video!
@wreckage-vs5jv3 жыл бұрын
4:14 it's so many screws it tells you how often a specific D50 got repaired or "repaired". Approx 1 screw missing for each attempt..
@Jeff76199226 жыл бұрын
That's very neat that they included a power supply that could be changed for various countries. I'm sure musicians back in the day really appreciated that if they had to move countries.
@gullyfoyle63547 жыл бұрын
Fantastic video, Markus! Thanks a lot for letting us discover its "hidden" internal secrets!! ;) I love that LA sound from the 80s & 90s, I personnally own a XP80 for many years now (sadly, needed to be serviced cause of malfunction of one of the audio outputs) and a Roland VARIOS with the D-50 card that contains all Roland's original extra cards and some new wave table roms!! Amazing machine. Kudos.
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
A friend of mine had the Varios, very interesting machine indeed.
@gullyfoyle63547 жыл бұрын
Yes, iti is :) it's sampler, too with its own software you can edit on a LCD monitor.
@resynthesizer45657 ай бұрын
Set screws slipping are a problem, for sure. And this fix is legit. However I've seen a problem on this and other Roland keyboards of the same vintage lately. the plastic part that flexes when you activate the modulation breaks. I'm working on a kit that will remedy that. Also, I have seen a lot of broken pitch wheels. The part that sticks up. Not sure how to address that.
@organfairy7 жыл бұрын
We had one of these in my school back in the late 1980s. Nobody found out how to programme it but they bought some memory cards with new presets for it. I still need to figure out how to programme my D-20....
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Im not sure how to program this D-50 yet but I will spend some time on it and try to understand it as it is a very nice sounding synthesiser. ps I see your collection of keyboards on your youtube page keeps on growing :-) keep up the good work.
@organfairy7 жыл бұрын
It has been a while since I bought "new" ones, but there are still some that I haven't presented yet :-)
@Viktorbasscool4 жыл бұрын
Great video.. i have a d-50 with some problems... Pitch bend broker, internal battery and a key not working... thanks for post
@anks8887 жыл бұрын
The pot is a centre tapped pot i had to make one recently to repair a vox bass amp. You can still find the ones in that style so if it breaks look around there was some on eBay when I was looking but wrong type of case for the vox. Think they are used a lot in wahwah pedals
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
First time I ever seen one like that
@ThomasGrillo7 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the video. That keyboard looks familiar. I say that, 30 years on, but I remember having a bit of a play with it in a music shop, when it was introduced. As I recall, the keyboard had a very cool choir sound. Given the time of that keyboard's manufacturing dates, I'm guessing the ram on board was between 512K, and 1Meg. That ram would've accounted for about half the cost of that keyboard, too.
@Wagoo7 жыл бұрын
Well the Atari ST came out 2 years before the D-50 for less than half the price.. and that had 512KB.. so.. it can't have been THAT much of the cost in 1987
@wreckage-vs5jv3 жыл бұрын
14:48 don't forget to replace internal fuses for the desired voltage..
@dopfunk6 жыл бұрын
How did you take off the wheel at 8:52? On both my D-50 and D70 it is not as easily removable as in your video and Im afraid that Ill break something even more.
@MrRandomposter7 жыл бұрын
Thanks Markus very enjoyable videos. 😎
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Thank You Miles
@kentkacs31407 жыл бұрын
I've never seen that technique of torching a potentiometer to loosen it before. Interesting!
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Yes it warms up the grease in the pot and softens it enough to get it going again, though im not sure how long it will last, but I have just checked it and it still moves freely.
@its.stacygabriel Жыл бұрын
mine tightens as soon as it cools down. anyone have any other ideas? @@markusfuller
@marctronixx7 жыл бұрын
Happy New Year Markus! The pitch bender still working as expected?
@MarctheDarc7 жыл бұрын
Congratz on your D-50 + PG-1000! I'm so jealous, it's probably _the_ dream synth for me, but they're hard to come by here, the few you see are usually in terrible condition, and I don't trust to buy it online. But yours looks to be in beautiful condition, lucky :-) Lucky easy fix too it seems. I would probably have dripped a bit of oil on the shaft after heating it, and let it run in while rotating it, give it a chance to work in some fresh lubricant. Miniscule difference, but think it would've lessened the risk of it seizing up again in the future. Thanks for an awesome video :-)
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Hi Marc. Yes I should have tried a bit of regreasing as it was hot but the gap was so tiny I doubt anything could have flowed through. however it is still working at the moment but when it starts sticking again I will try some new grease while its warm. Its in incredibly good condition and I doubt the original owner ever used it often.
@bruno96467 жыл бұрын
The LAS-Chip of my D-50 is much biger. It does look like a old Intel Pentium-4. Just huge. But the sound is still outstanding. This Synth has its own spirit.
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Yes I think you have the 100pin chip version and mine has fewer pins around 80 or just over but they have basically the same information on them.
@freeelectron82616 жыл бұрын
Not exactly ending on a high note ;) Nice work yet again!
@adiero7 жыл бұрын
Thanks very muchly for this. So interesting that it has a 16bit dac. Back in the day, we went through great trouble to make sure it was recorded on a 24bit system... I wonder how hard a hack it would be to bypass the dac and take the stream directly. And how many of the newer synths have 24bit dacs? And 96k? The mind wanders.... P:)
@MacXpert747 жыл бұрын
16 or 24 bit really wouldn't make any difference in this application. A higher bit-depth than 16 bit would theoretically give you a higher dynamic range, but the D-50 is somewhat noise to begin with. So it doesn't come close to the theoretical limit of 16 bit. Therefore a 24-bit DAC wouldn't do anything for the sound quality. Also in 1987 such a DAC was probably not available or extremely expensive.
@Nimrodsmovies7 жыл бұрын
Great video Markus!
@tubical717 жыл бұрын
Nice little video, Markus. Reminds me of the mid digital era where the synth just begun to take advance of the processing-power. I had a D50 myself, back in 199x, sold it somewhere in the 200x. I always dislike ROLAND for their bender type. The standart two round disks are way better to handle.
@ChipGuy7 жыл бұрын
Something comes to mind: This awesome synth is almost 30 years old and all the electrolytic caps seem to be original. Nowadays those cheap chinese caps are failing after maximum 10 years, and these are the good ones. Other ones in today's TVs fail after just 2 years. That's really sad.
@argiraselene79077 жыл бұрын
Hi , your videos Markus are awesome ! How is Roland´s built quality nowadays , for instance the system 8 , in comparison with older synths , like the D-50 ?
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
well to compare the casing of the system-8 with the d-50 is like the system-8 is a 3 wheeled reliant robin and a d-50 is a sherman tank. however sound quality of the system-8 is very good (well i think so) and all the buttons and rotary controllers are perfectly good to use and should last. you really have to try one out to be honest.
@argiraselene79077 жыл бұрын
thank you for answering my question
@Slider27327 жыл бұрын
"this card here'...is a squashed flat Lambert&Butler cigarette packet lol Nice fix, hadn't thought to heat the pot shaft before.
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
LOL I looked at the card and I see what you mean there. it does look like Lambert & Butler
@wreckage-vs5jv3 жыл бұрын
16:10 old CPU -G017, new -G022. Roland says 'increased arithmetic operation speed' but both clock 12mhz. Might explain difference in midi lag between some D50s. You can upgrade G17 to firmware 1.10 and G22 to 2.22 There is no information about this "G" version of the NEC uPD78312, I don't think it's much different from it or the later A versions
@bestrickie25 жыл бұрын
So you are a good keyboard player. Well done as to it’s a good synth. I’ve just bought a nice new Genos Yamaha keyboard.
@loukas632 жыл бұрын
Hi Markus, it's great to see the old keyboards still in transit )) i have a Roland D50 also in mint condition and i can kindly say I'm the only person who i believe has one in Cyprus? I would like your advise on something please? I had a issue with it and when i went to use it, i noticed i had no sound. I had the power supply changed. When i got it back, i noticed the display was flashing, also the pitch bender would only pitch down, when i used the pitch bend up, it would only sound down? I haven't tried yet to undo the back cover to see if i have the same issue mas seen in your video, but i have ordered another one from Ebay (used in good working order ). Can you please advise me? And finally do you have any spare parts for sale for a Roland D50 if i need any in future, as you know it's hard to find there parts? Or do you know of any web site i can order from? Many Thanks )) Keep the good work up ))
@pcuimac Жыл бұрын
Thx for making this video! I just got an XP-30 with a pitch bender that's also malfuncioning in the same way. Roland didn't seem to have changed the construction for the JV & XP line of synths. I hope your "fix" will help mine too. (Actually it's more of a hack. ;) Does your D-50 still work or did you sell it?
@Auntystatic7 жыл бұрын
while you had it open you could have fitted the expansion board, it triples your memory and adds a few other tricks, you can still buy the kits new from Germany for about €50 when I last looked
@davidchandler45877 жыл бұрын
cool stuff
@HowDoesItSoundPL7 жыл бұрын
Incredible video ;) yesterday i bought D50 ;)
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
excellent, im looking through google and keep on downloading new sounds for it, there is so much on the internet for this keyboard I doubt I will ever get tired of it.
@muzikman20087 жыл бұрын
I had a D50 in the 90s wish i never sold it. Great video description of the boards too. Dont you need to recalibrate the pitch bender after moving the pot? I did this on my XP80 in the service menu on power up.
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Hello, I just placed the pot as centred as possible by eye and it seems to be ok. maybe it gathers pot settings when on power up and uses that as centre. I really do not know.
@Neffers_UK7 жыл бұрын
You are probably correct Markus. To confirm it, you could hold it off centre while it boots and sample a note, reboot the synth with no bend, play the same note and compare. If both notes sound the same, it is calibrating upon boot.
@ChrisSmout7 жыл бұрын
So what you're saying is, throw in a quid or too and you can buy (and hopefully restore) more vintage synthesisers? Sounds like a good cause!
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Hi Chris. nobody needs to throw in anything but I have a few supporters on patreon and every now and then I get enough together to buy something to make another video up for everyone.
@ChrisSmout7 жыл бұрын
I meant no offence - I really enjoy your videos as they demystify a lot about electronics and encourage my curiosity. The more the merrier, quite simply!
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Hi Chris. No don't get me wrong I never imagined you were throwing an offence at me at all. I guess my previous reply may have sounded like I was shouting back at you which was not my intention at all. I was just sort of describing how the patreon thing was really helping with buying a few more things for my videos. Sorry about that crossed wires. Best wishes from Markus.
@bingobaz64022 жыл бұрын
Hello there you seem quite clever and technical. Let me exain what happened. I don't know if you are aware sometimes with roland d50 you need to clean the contacts which is undernearh the keyboard. I had 2 notes not playing and another one a bit quieter than the others.. I watched a video on KZfaq about it. So I tried it. Opened it and cleaned as described. Screwed everything back up. Tried it out, two out of 3 notes fixed. So I thought well I am opening it back up again and fixing that last dead key. But on this occasion I decided to open it then plug it back in so I could test it while it was open, then I would know it was all fixed before I put all the screws back in but unfortunately I touched something inside with metal near my desk and heard a bang and a burning smell. So is that the transformer I blown do you think? I oddly enough just ordered that rack version you mentioned a couple of times, so I got that coming. But even so I tried to see if I can get a power board for roland d50 with no success, this said I have no idea if that's definitely the part that's blown.
@bingobaz64022 жыл бұрын
P. Sy desk has a fake drawer which you just pull the front down and you can put your pc keyboard in there. But it has a metal hinge on it. It must have been that which touched it. My roland d50 is upstairs in bits atm and has been for a couple of months. Just bought a cheap ys22 so I can play the sounds from my roland d550 rack when I get it. So at least whatever happens I should be able to actually play a roland d50 again but on the yamaha ys22 synth via midi. Tbh seeing the roland d50 again in your video almost breaks my heart as I had that thing since the early 90's, it would be nice to get it fixed. But as said atm the moment the things in bits upstairs. Seeing it in your vid makes me feel although it will be great when the rack vers comes you just can't beat owning a roland d50.
@carl1567 жыл бұрын
I got the D550 module
@gilmadrigal90396 жыл бұрын
Mark, como puedo hacer un RECET DEL ROLAND D 50 TOCABA CORRECTAMENTE LE ESCRIBIMOS OTRO SONIDO Y AHORA TOCA TODOS LOS SONIDOS DISTORCIONADOS, PUEDES AYUDARME PLIS
@fimkatube7 жыл бұрын
Great excellent video. Once Roland's hottest digital synth, it competed against the Yamaha DX7, and was much easier to use.
@NeuronalAxon5 жыл бұрын
It wasn't easier to make patches on though was it, IIRC?
@annother33504 жыл бұрын
Neuron - it was way more Predictable than FM and they sold the programmer (as seen in the thumbnail)
@nathanreddent24274 жыл бұрын
Hey I just bought a brand new keyboard and need advise. The pitch bender isn’t fully lose but does wiggle a bit by just barely touching it. Should I return it for another one before my 30 days in up? Or is this just my OCD kicking in.
@Setherian5 жыл бұрын
out of morbid curiosity, what u have there on the right side, used as a sampler?
@bigbert574 жыл бұрын
can you tell me how to clean patch number buttons on a roland d 50
@mrdave454 жыл бұрын
Hi, really enjoy these videos! I've got an xp30 which looks like it has an almost identical pitch mod wheel. The modulation sensor isn't working properly. There's the (what I think is) capacitive film folded over on itself and a bit of conductive rubber (varies from about 500 ohm to 2k depending how hard I press the meter leads together) that I think is meant to go in between the 2 layers of film. However the mod doesn't seem to work like this, I've tried with the rubber next to the plastic presser and I'm getting midi etc but it's seems pretty much off, low value or full. I can't quite see how the rubber is supposed to be from the video. I can't work out whether the fault is the rubber, the assembly method or whether there's some calibration setting hidden somewhere. Have you got any suggestions? Unfortunately the service manual I found doesn't seem to go into any detail with the pitch bend assembly. Thanks!
@mrdave454 жыл бұрын
And now its working again after several years of it not being OK. You can access the test mode on xp30 by holding controller - Oct and expansion a whilst powering on.
@MrRobbiepee7 жыл бұрын
Marcus. I have a D50 with a similar problem - the pitch bend doesn't spring back, although it is not stiff, so II suspect a dodgy spring. Have you any idea what would cause a couple of the keys to loose their touch sensitivity?
@Neffers_UK7 жыл бұрын
The touch strip below the keys will be grubby (Markus pointed it out in the video here kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Y9Wgd6-kx93eaWw.html), it's not an ideal surface for this application but was practical and cheap. You will have to remove the keys probably (they will come out entirely on a bracket, shouldn't be too hard), and expose the plastic strip. The black lines are carbon "switches", the same as used in joypads etc. Wipe them down carefully with IPA, this will clean the gunk off them and not harm the plastic strip. Next you will have to do the same with each individual key, underneath is a black rubberised version of the strip. Use IPA and a lint free swap to wipe each rubber blob a few times. Don't touch them at all after cleaning, just keep gently swabbing until there's no visible grot on the swabs. Leave to dry fully before reassembling (some IPA has a higher water content) or the pads may stick to the plastic strip. The spring may have come off of the plastic pins that retain it, or the plastic pins may have broken off (worst case). Do what Markus did here to have a look at the assembly.
@CaptainAbir7 жыл бұрын
Hi Mark , I need a advice , I'm getting a used Roland System 1 at Guitar Center US, is it a good choice to buy hat machine ???
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Anubhav Mitra Hello Anubhav, now theat the system-8 is on sale im guessing there will be several system-1 units on sale so I would try and get a better deal from your guitar centre, but the system-1 is a good synthesiser I did not like the keyboard but if you connect a larger midi keyboard to it then it is fine and you can make some very interesting sounds with it.
@CaptainAbir7 жыл бұрын
markusfuller I mean to ask that , is it worth buying a Second hand Used System 1 for almost $299 in US ??
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Anubhav Mitra Hello the roland system-1 is new at £372 which makes it $456 US dollars so im guessing that price is not too bad that you have been quoted.
@mesatole093 жыл бұрын
Hi i have a question why freze mine
@tukimono3 жыл бұрын
I'm so sad. My pictch bender got broken and I'm in crisis. Do you have any inside advice where to find this precious replacement for the pitch bender? You'd save me. Thanks for everything you do.
@markusfuller3 жыл бұрын
Hello Im sorry but I do not know where you can find a replacement pitch bender. there are so many different types and shapes and its almost impossible to pull one off a different keyboard. you have to find the same. have you tried the website called syntaur.com ? they have many vintage spares.
@tukimono3 жыл бұрын
@@markusfuller Yes but it is out of stock and who knows if it is for ever. Thank u so much.
@alphabeets7 жыл бұрын
I would have just put a few drops of penetrating oil on the shaft where it goes inside the sleeve and leave it set overnight. I bet that would've done the trick.
@Neffers_UK7 жыл бұрын
I have done this with a few pots over the years. The problem is that you reduce the viscosity of the grease, it can ruin the feel of the thing, ruining the lubrication leading to a bit of a wobble and then it all runs down potentially depositing the now much thinner grease all over the wiper strip. I think Markus did the right thing, in his case at least.
@marockyster7 жыл бұрын
Hi Markus, great videos. I was wondering if you could help me with something. I acquired Casio WK-3000 but it has a problem. Eight keys next to each other would play the sound as like hard pressed and then the LCD indicates that they are still pressed so no more sound when pressed again. When switched off and back on its fine until I pressed them again. I had a quick look and tried to clean the connectors and even swapped the rubber with other keys but the same keys are still playing up. The keys move freely and everything else works without problems. Any idea what could be wrong and where to look? Thanks.
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
zz-top Hi That is a problem i have not heard about before?. it sounds as though the synth thinks the keys have not been released thats why you cannot retrigger them a second time. I would check the ribbon connector from the keybed to the main board and then maybe switch on the instrument and short across one of the carbon tracks where a pad would make contact just to see if i can trigger the same note several times. if you can only do it once then theres a problem in the main board though i cannot guess what it could be.
@marockyster7 жыл бұрын
Thanks, I'll try that.
@dvamateur6 жыл бұрын
Interesting. I wonder though why so many people refer to editing synthesizer parameters as "programming". Programming is what Roland engineers did in assembler, or C, or whichever language it took to write the D-50 operating system, no? And actually, it's not even an operating system. The OS only organizes the hardware, reads memory addresses, scans keyboard, etc. The synth parameters is an application ready to use by anybody. Why do so many people refer to "using" this application as programming?
@simonmatele46217 жыл бұрын
Hi Marcus, thanks for another great video! At 16:15, you point out the PCM ROM, and next to it is a similar but unpopulated ROM slot. Would it the theoretically be able to expand the ROM wave set? Cheers
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Thats a good question Simon and one that I do not have the answer to. still it has got me wondering the same thing.
@_P_M_6 жыл бұрын
Can you address the concern of aging capacitors on these old synths? I've stopped short of buying some old gear because I worry about things going bad on them. I've heard of capacitors going out or even damaging the surrounding electronics. I've never had this issue yet with any of my old gear but it definitely worries me.
@annother33504 жыл бұрын
If i was a genius i would invent the ever lasting capacitor. It's scandalous. I just had to have my emu 1820m fixed and it whistles a little bit now after It's been on for a while! Planned obsolescence if you ask me
@soinuenitzalak21607 жыл бұрын
Hey Markus! Always love youre videos! I am traying to buy something on internet to cover my work table. What material is the blue stuff you have over youre table? Do you know where I can buy something like that? Thank you very much!
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Hello It is simply left over carpet from my flat. nothing special at all.
@annother33504 жыл бұрын
Don't some of those man made fibres create static?!
@bgray10097 жыл бұрын
love the channel . you look so much like colin furze lol
@ruadeil_zabelin7 жыл бұрын
Would this be the same or a similar board to what's in the mt-32? That box also has LA, and probably uses the same la32 chip
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Hello Kayak yes they have similarities, I have an MT-32 under my desk so will get inside it and have a look around.
@ruadeil_zabelin7 жыл бұрын
Neat i'd be very interested in that :)
@marcnelson89867 жыл бұрын
Hi Markus, I have a loud key on my D50 which I assume is a velocity issue. Would this be a key contact issue, and are these easy enough to clean from your experience? Cheer
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Marc Nelson Hi Marc, the keys actually press down 2 pads one just before the other and thats how it knows how hard or rather how fast you have pressed the key so it may be a simple job of cleaning up the carbon contacts under the rubber pads as it is probable not working out the difference in time between the first and second carbon contact.
@marcnelson89867 жыл бұрын
Many thanks Markus. I'll strip it down this evening and check the contacts have a good weekend.
@marcnelson89867 жыл бұрын
markusfuller spot on, Markus cleaned the contacts and all fixed!! Cheers for the advice
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Marc Nelson Brilliant Marc, im pleased you got it all working again. best wishes.
@Richard_P_James7 жыл бұрын
Any advice about possible fixes a D-50 display which has become rather dim?
@NeuronalAxon5 жыл бұрын
They seem to sell the displays on Amazon/Ebay.
@marcbrasse7477 жыл бұрын
Have you actually tried WD40? I know it is against all existing lore but when used with caution it 'can really do miracles in this sort of more mechanically oriented circumstances. I've even been able to get stuff with really naff pots back to life.
@alphabravo64186 жыл бұрын
This guy is Jean-Michel Jarre and McGyver !
@NumanFanlfc6 жыл бұрын
Hi m8 great vids just subbed keep em coming :-) , ? I have a roland D10 that switches on plays after a few mins it decides to fade away , while still switdhed on , do u fancy a play with it or any ideas on why its doing it . It belonged to a band called Electro 80s ( best 80s tribute band ever ) i believe its been a tad mistreated ie chucked over a wall knocked off stage by a drunk at a gig lol . cheers in advance .
@eurobum20127 жыл бұрын
So what makes a synthesizer "linear"?
@Coolkeys20097 жыл бұрын
It's effectively their name for dsp synthesis from what I can see. (It was ahead of it's time). It generates it's analogue style wave forms and filtering using digital signal processing. It can also mix samples with the wave forms,voices can be made up of up to 4 parts + you got chorus and reverb for the first time to complete your sounds. It was a very innovative keyboard in it's time unfortunately I only got to play with the synthesizers that copied the sample playback features which were disappointing compared to the previous digital analogue hybrids. No doubt Mark will be making a full voice programming video for it shortly :-)
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Hmm now thats an idea for a video, but I will have to understand how to program it first.
@Coolkeys20097 жыл бұрын
markusfuller Oh, if you do decide to make a video, could please explain the basics of the synthesis that came before the D50 and after it to put it into context. I've seen people asking questions about the basics of programming synthesizers after doing tear downs/repairs etc and other D50 owners in the comments. Thanks for posting the video.
@dvamateur6 жыл бұрын
I know this question was not directed to me, but I am going to go ahead and answer anyway. From synthesis point of view, the D-50 is a subtractive synthesizer, with square wave generator, variable pulse width, ring modulator, lowpass resonant filter (you also get sawtooth wave at that stage), 3 LFO's (that can be routed to four destinations: pulse width, pitch, filter, and amplifier), and 3 envelopes (pitch, filter, amplifier). And you can treat the PCM samples as a bonus, as well as the parametric EQ, chorus, delays, and reverb. The "linear" aspect of the name for this synthesizer describes adding up to four oscillators. Not a true additive synthesis here, but hey, you can make a case that it is a rudimentary high level additive synthesis on top of a subtractive synthesizer. Hey, you can even make the case that you're adding harmonics with the ring modulator, and then subtract then with the filter. Oh well, the interpretation of the "linear" moniker is then entirely up to you. :)
@Neffers_UK7 жыл бұрын
Does the PG send info straight through SYS EX midi messages?
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Hi Neffers, yes I think it is all Sysex information that is sent.
@Neffers_UK7 жыл бұрын
Cool, I didn't think Sys Ex could be sent on the fly like that. That opens a whole world of modulation possibilities surely?!
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Hi Neffers, If you are holding a note then change a fader on the PG then nothing happens until you retrigger that note. whereas midi could change the sound Sysex seems to only make a difference when retriggered after the command has been changed. its all smoke and mirrors to me. LOL
@Neffers_UK7 жыл бұрын
Ah, I see. So it's not practical to use the PG while performing / playing back Midi. Shame, that could have been a fun tool for you to abuse.
@LYPSTEBARZ7 жыл бұрын
i believe devante made jodecis biggest hits with this
@dnch7 жыл бұрын
nice, what sampler did you use Markus?
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Hi I used the pioneer toraiz though to be honest im not getting on with it too well.
@dnch7 жыл бұрын
interesting, i always though its more of a dj tool (and quite expensive hehe).. .. and unrelated question, have you ever repaired Akai MPC? or do you recall any video where you repaired tact switches?
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Hi the Toraiz is similar to the MPCs but it is seriously lacking some firmware upgrade. I have taken apart the Ableton push 2 (which I still own and use) but I have not done a video on Tactile switches specifically but I think I did some replacements of them in the Yamaha W7 video.
@dnch7 жыл бұрын
thank you Markus
@Neffers_UK7 жыл бұрын
Tactile switches.... there's many types of defining tactile as far as swiching goes. If you google tactile switch you get the common four pronged black buttoned devices. For these you can find a multitude of specs, the rise, height and diameter of the black button, the pressure required to activate and all manner of info. One word of warning if you are looking to replace this kind, get a proper one. The ones made out of chinesium are great, for ten minutes. Omron is the brand to go for when looking for any mechanical micro / tactile switch. Sadly it's well know for the guys over at china to stamp Omron on anything, beware of fakes. Start here. www.omron.com/ecb/products/sw/ Tactiles are here www.omron.com/ecb/products/search/?cat=2&did=2&prd=tactile-standard&lang=en
@noddyspuncture Жыл бұрын
It's called a "centre-tap"...!
@ChipGuy7 жыл бұрын
The main board changed over time, I found a picture on which the SYNTHE DSP is in a ceramic PGA package instead of the flat pack jeanmicheljarre.pl/radek/studio/Roland%20D-50/20101217260.jpg
@DigitalGamerBE7 жыл бұрын
Wow... even with it's programmer T_T I'd like to try or just touch this fantastic synth which made a huge part in my favorite Jean Michel Jarre's album! :D Have you seen Docklands concert? :o
@digitalperformer76 жыл бұрын
Great video, expecially for non-English speaking people who can take advantage of your explanations to improve their vocabulary and, where is possible, their listening comprehension. 😉
@nihonam7 жыл бұрын
Is it from Yello or what?
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Do you mean Yello as in Dieter Meier and Boris Blank?
@nihonam7 жыл бұрын
Yes, them. I barely recognized the sound, but I definitely heard it somewhere.
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Yes I love those two in Yello, I have many of their CDs. the sound I used was from Jean-Michel Jarre's track Industrial revolution. but I guess Yello must also have used this D-50
@thesmallestatom7 жыл бұрын
nice spend!
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
It turned up at just the right time and in such good condition with the pg1000. I think it was meant to happen.
@DAVIDGREGORYKERR7 жыл бұрын
It might be early DSP technology.
@terenceedwards78697 жыл бұрын
i think ur great, ave u done it yet
@markusfuller7 жыл бұрын
Done what Terence ?
@philrgv7 жыл бұрын
I have got some dead keys on mine now....30years crisis !
@ilmawi7 жыл бұрын
i have the same problem. I fixed it couple times by cleaning the contacts with alcohol underneath the rubberstrips which i also replaced once, but never got the keys to work for more than a month or so. I think the alcohol wasn't the best product for that. i also have some gunk in my front panel buttons. I cleaned them also (it's a pain to get there from the bottom) but i only got some them to work properly. Most used buttons are in the worst condition, so i need to replace them in some point in the future.
@zer0b0t7 жыл бұрын
some people say wd40 is good for loosing and cleaning pots